This year, six publications have been nominated for General Excellence in Digital Publishing: Small Publication. The award honours the publication that most successfully fulfills its editorial mandate, represents the highest journalistic standards, and effectively serves its intended audience by maximizing the possibilities afforded by the medium of digital publishing.
Following last year’s inaugural Digital Publishing Awards, this top overall prize has been divided into two divisions (small publication & large publication) to better reflect the breadth of digital publications in Canada. Judges considered four main criteria for this award: quality of content & design, innovation & creativity, functionality & user experience and overall impact.
This year’s jury has nominated six spectacular publications, with the winners being announced at the Digital Publishing Award Soirée on Thursday June 1.
Let us introduce you to this year’s six nominated publications:
Canadian Art is Canada’s most widely read visual-arts publication. In print and online, their foremost mandate is to cover art accessibly and intelligently, without depending on the languages and approaches of the academy or the market.

Joel Friesen, Digital Developer
Mark Garrison, Digital Designer
LiisBeth is an intersectional, inclusive feminist business magazine and community working to unleash the full potential of 51% of the world’s population-women.
Liisbeth Media, Publisher
Petra Kassun-Mutch, Editor
Merian Media, Digital Developer
Meredith Ann Brooks, Digital Designer
Margaret Webb, Contributor
This is LiisBeth’s first nomination with the Digital Publishing Awards.
National Observer focuses on news and in-depth reports on under-covered Canadian stories in the area of climate, energy, business, culture and politics. The publication also highlights inspired business innovations and lifestyle hacks that build sustainability and resilience and help in the transition to renewable energy from fossil fuels. National Observer provides its journalists days, weeks, sometimes even months, to do the investigative reporting that is vital to defending Canada’s democracy.
Linda Solomon Wood, Publisher
Mike De Souza, Editor
Bruno De Bondt, Digital Developer
Codename Design, Digital Designer
Linda Solomon Wood, Contributor
This is National Observer’s first nomination in the Digital Publishing Awards.
Toronto Life is carefully curated for people who care about what’s going on in their city. Their goal is to help readers understand Toronto and get the most out of it by making smart choices about everything Toronto has to offer.
Ken Hunt, Publisher
Sarah Fulford, Editor
Tim Burden, JP Lazaro, Gene Brukson, Digital Developers
Matthew Warland, Digital Designers
Adam Campbell, Web Manager
Christine Dewairy & David Topping, Contributors
Toronto Life is also nominated for Best Digital Design, for the second year in a row, as well as Best Digital Initiative for their e-newsletters.
A leader in producing content created by moms for moms, YMC is the lens through which Canadian women with kids find inclusive, intelligent, and unfiltered stories and opinions, as well as the little things to help them win the day. YMC is committed to publishing work by content creators who are living and sharing the real parenting experiences, presenting “Motherhood Unfiltered” on our site and across all of our social platforms.
Erica Ehm, Publisher & Producer
Jeni Marinucci, Editor
Jen Charron, Digital Designer
Contributors: YMC’s team of Content Creators
YMC: Motherhood Unfiltered is also nominated for Best Social Storytelling for their It Doesn’t Have to Hurt campaign.
(Small Publication: less than one million unique visitors per month.)
The winners of the General Excellence in Digital Publishing: Small Publication award will be announced at the Digital Publishing Awards Soirée on Thursday June 1, 2017 in Toronto. Congratulations to all of this year’s nominees!
Full list of 2017 nominees
Digital Publishing Awards Event Details
Purchase your tickets for #DPA17